3 Ways to Use Warmer Weather to Strengthen Memories of Loved Ones

The bright yellow pop of daffodils around my neighborhood reminds me of one of the most creative ideas I’ve come across for keeping memories of loved ones alive. Read on for this innovative springtime strategy and two others.

Grow Daffodils. In a time of loss, give a wicker basket full of daffodil bulbs. The strategy here is for the recipient to plant, if possible, one bulb for every year the loved one lived. Daffodils are the perfect flower for such a happiness-inducing project: as perennials, they’ll come back spring after spring—and they’re virtually indestructible.

Establish a New Spring Ritual. Every year I look forward to the satisfying ritual of buying a small pot of Forget-me-not flowers—which come in pink and white as well as the familiar blue—to place somewhere I’ll see all day. For the few weeks the flowers last, I enjoy the living, physical reminder of the relationships I had with those I’ve lost. During the course of writing Passed and Present, this poignant symbolism really took hold of me. So much so, I decided to call all strategies for remembering loved ones in the book Forget Me Nots.

Grow a Memory Garden. In celebration of spring, visit your local nursery to buy your loved one’s favorite herb, plant, or flower. If it isn’t warm enough yet where you live, pick something from a seed and plant catalog to use later. Plant and grow a memory garden (either in the ground or in several pots) to remember those you’ve lost.

Get outside. Smell the flowers. And let the season refresh memories of family and friends you never want to forget.

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About Allison Gilbert

Allison Gilbert is the author of Passed and Present, and the critically acclaimed books Parentless Parents and Always Too Soon. She is also coeditor of Covering Catastrophe, the definitive historical record of how broadcast journalists covered 9/11. Allison’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, and on NPR, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, CBS, and ABC.